PPAP Community Meeting 2016

1. PPAP Community Meeting 2016 Grahame Blair Executive Director, Programmes July 2016

2. Leadership transition NowNovember • Aim to have new CEO in place before November. BIS discussing with STFC chairman • Likely to be an “interim” CEO appointment in the first instance • A working group is co-ordinating the strategic and organisational planning required to ensure a smooth handover between Chief Executives

3. Corporate Strategy • A first draft has been reviewed by STFC Executive Board and Advisory Boards • Positive feedback, but with rapid changes in UK research landscape, Executive Board has agreed: • There is considerable advantage in taking more time to further develop the Strategy, to be bolder, more ambitious and inspirational • In parallel, Executive Board and Council can: • Assess progress and implications of BIS Policy Reform and EU referendum • Ensure the future ambition and role of our organisation within the emerging UK research system is appropriately positioned • We will finalise in Autumn and publish in November/December

4. Sci-Tech Daresbury Open Week – July 2016 In July, for the first time in over a decade, Sci-Tech Daresbury opened its doors to visitors who saw where scientists and engineers work around the clock on cutting edge research projects that are changing life in the 21st century.More than 1100 children attended on the schools days, and more than 7500 joined us for the public day. If you would like to help our Particle Physics Department at future events please contact stephen.haywood@stfc.ac.uk.

5. Balance of Programmes • To live within a flat cash budget presents a number of challenges to STFC • We have a basis for Astronomy, Particle Physics and Nuclear Physics from the last Programmatic Review, which included wide community consultation • In the short term we intend to use that advice, with appropriate updates from the Advisory Panels, to undertake a ‘balance of programme’ exercise, led by the Science Board • This will look at the balance across our science between development, operation and exploitation – to ensure that the programme we are pursuing is focused upon the highest scientific priorities • Science Board will consider any adjustments, before the end of 2016 and use this advice to guide initial budgets for 2017/18

6. Comprehensive Spending Review

7. Comprehensive Spending Review • Chancellor announced headline numbers in the autumn statement (November): • Pledged to protect science in real terms • Science budget included Research Councils, HEFCE, Innovate UK, UK Space Agency, academies • New £1.5 billion science ODA fund • On 4 March, Jo Johnson announced high level numbers for each Research Council, UKSA, HEFCE and National Academies: • Met Chancellor’s promise: total science budget protected against inflation • 2016-17 and 2017-18 are firm allocations – the rest are indicative pending the transition to UKRI

8. Research Council allocations Indicative GCRF = funding for research into global challenges Has to meet ODA rules

9. What it means for STFC • Overall position • Partitions have been retained • Another 4 years of flat cash will obviously impact the volume of the programme • BIS worked with us behind the scenes to address specific issues • Core • Resource: flat from 2016-17 onward • Capital: flat for first three years, reduced in final year. • International subscriptions • Resource: sufficient for existing and new commitments - SKA, ESS and XFEL. • Capital: sufficient for existing and new commitments • Facilities • Resource: inflation indexed but need for efficiencies and/or generate additional revenue in later years • Capital: inflation indexed

10. STFC allocation in detail

11. STFC Delivery Plan • STFC published its Delivery plan on 4th May • Included revised financial tables with partitions • STFC plans to deliver, amongst others: • An excellent programme in particle physics,nuclear physics and astronomy • CERN, ESO, ESRF, ILL and FAIR, plus CERN technical upgrades, E-ELT and LSST • New commitments: ESS, XFEL and SKA • Operate and upgrade Diamond, ISIS and CLF • Increase innovation output from our funded activities • Skills programme to link traditional STEM with software engineering, technology development, and data science. • Strong programme of public engagement

12. The wider landscape

13. Higher Education and Research Bill Official Government policy Announced in Queen’s Speech Legislation now before the Commons Debates, committees, then Lords Implementation from 1 April 2018 Bill implements the White Paper Success as a Knowledge Economy Creates two new public bodies. Office for Students (OfS) Regulation of HEIs Teaching grants to HEIs Operation of new Teaching Excellence Framework UK Research and Innovation

14. UK Research and Innovation Single research and innovation funding body Seven Research Councils, HEFCE and Innovate-UK will no longer be independent bodies RCs, I-UK and some HEFCE functions, staff, assets, labs etc to be transferred into UKRI Names of RCs will live on as separate UKRI committees (“Councils”) Research England (HEFCE’s research and knowledge exchange areas) and Innovate UK also committees of UKRI Budgets for each committee set separately Each committee will produce Delivery Plan Transition period. Interim Chair appointed – John Kingman

15. UK Research and Innovation Extract from White Paper

16. What does it mean? May be changes before final passage of legislation Bill passed 2nd Reading in Commons, now to Lords etc. with passage possibly by December 2016 UKRI will provide over-arching science and innovation strategy, and coordinate multi-disciplinary research Individual “Councils” will continue to develop discipline specific strategies and plans No changes in Bill to individual “Council” fields of activity RC, I-UK and relevant HEFCE staff will transfer to UKRI Single central unit for admin/support functions (HR, finance, communications, etc) RCs already planning substantial efficiency measures

17. EU referendum • We want the UK to continue to be the best place in world to do science • The implications of the decision on research are not fully understood but there have been no immediate changes. A Research Councils’ statement on international collaboration is available on our website setting out current position • STFC will work closely with its communities to identify, understand and address issues • Research Councils are working with colleagues in Government and beyond to play a positive and constructive role in future negotiations

18. Post-referendum landscape • The newly formed Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (the successor to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills) is responsible for research and the Research Councils. • Secretary of State is Rt. Hon Greg Clark – a former science minister • Higher Education (including skills and apprenticeships) is now the responsibility of Department for Education • The Minister for Universities and Science remains Jo Johnson MP, and the post is now shared between DBEIS and Department for Education

19. Grants Funding Delivery Programme • New Grants Service being delivered with DBEIS (formerly BIS). • Business case submitted in Summer 2015: • Potential for savings • Better user experience • More flexible service • New, simpler, modern, service to replace JeS (and internal systems) • Initial go-live March 2017 with staged migration until May 2018 (there will be a mixture of calls being processed through JeS and the new platform during this time) • JeS “switched off” from May 2018 • User Research being carried out with all areas of the RC community

20. New opportunities Global Challenges Research Fund • £3.5m p.a. allocated to STFC - will be managed by our Programmes Directorate • Needs to fund ODA compliant activities • £700m of GCRF yet to be allocated until 2021 with £38m for 2017/18 alone • Also (separately) there will be an extension and significant uplift in the Newton Fund • Programme still being designed • Seems likely to be a single central pot held in RCUK with funding flowing direct to researchers rather than via STFC • An initial call likely in August for spend to start in 2017/18,

21. VLBI Newton: Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy Ghana • Established in January 2015 with South Africa • Led by Melvin Hoare, Leeds University. • Eight training courses completed • The workshops took place in Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Mauritius and South Africa (x3) • A total of ~72 Students trained (BSc-PhD) and 29 Supervisors in a train the trainer event • Participants from Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, Mauritius, Madagascar, Botswana, and Mozambique • One MSc and four PhDs are to study in the UK this year with equivalent numbers in South Africa Kenya Zambia

22. CDT in Data Intensive Science • New CDT pilot scheme, after broad consultation. This is in addition to the ongoing DTP scheme. • 5 STFC-funded students p.a. for 4-yr PhDs in PPAN science including 6 months in non-academic partner organisations. • Training should include external partners and two-way flow of expertise and innovation required. • Must be at least 2 students p.a. from non STFC sources. • Expressions of interest by 15th Sept 2016, with full proposals by 10thNovember 2016. • Announcement of outcome end of Jan 2017. • CDT starts Oct 2017.

23. Discussion